Scout SWAPS are great! SWAPS are fun, creative, and can even be unique! They can also be a challenge, especially if you aren't the craftiest of the bunch. There are ideas everywhere, the cutest pictures on Pinterest, so much so that it can be hard to settle for one. There are also nice, convenient premade kits available online, but they're expensive. You're paying for that convenience when, in reality, you don't need to. The markup on what are usually essentially just a few simple and common supplies is ridiculous and unless you're buying completed SWAPS, they're not that much of a time saver either. You can do it yourself. It's far easier than you think and I'm going to help you!

No, really, trust me! Even you, the 'I glue my fingers together more often than the actual craft' people. Even you, the 'I can't draw a straight line to save my life' people. Even you who think you're completely craft illiterate. Everyone can learn and the lessons truly aren't that difficult.

Here, you will find easy to follow, step by step instructions, (with pictures) for fun and adorable SWAPS, both the classics and the more original and unique. You will learn the tips and tricks I've picked up over the years, including the few cheap and easy items that will make your crafting life easier, the basics and the essentials. You will find downloadable/printable files for patterns, labels, tags, poems, and more. Even those fancy little cookie boxes and license plates that look impossible! I'll help you find the cheapest supplies possible, including things you probably throw away on a regular basis. Wouldn't it be great to know what to start collecting as both scout leaders and scout parents, so that you don't have to scramble to get your hands on something that should be free? You'll find an ever growing list of recyclable items great for SWAPS. You will also (eventually) find links to videos on YouTube, for the more visual learners.

Whether it's something as simple as a bedroll or something as complex as a quiver of arrows or a fully decorated vest, I'll break it down for you. I'll sort by theme so you can find just the perfect thing for your scout or your event. Have a favorite that you'd love to make yourself but don't know how? Let me know and I'll reverse engineer it for you!

9/16/2018 Halloween SWAPS are going up! More to come. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook to see the progress as new SWAPS are created!

8/15/2018 Replaced links in sidebar with buttons

7/25/2018 SWAPS are being added every few days as I work to get through them. I am alternating between Thinking Day and regular SWAPS. You may not notice changes daily, as I am uploading the new files in batches.

1/1/2018 The site has an all new look, and you might notice the web address is a sub-domain. The regular web address will direct you here, so no worries. I've got the main pages set up, and will be adding more as quickly as I can. Things will look different, the site layout will no longer be blog style, so things will be organized slightly differently, but it will offer the same SWAPS as before, and even more, soon enough. I appreciate your patience. I think the hardest part about all of this will be correcting Pinterest links!

As I am working, there will be some dead links, or theme and country pages with no SWAPS showing yet. Please forgive the mess.

All original poems are the sole intellectual property of SWAPS4Free and are not permitted for resale. Please, do not use my poems to create and sell kits. This is intellectual propery theft. Changing a word or two does not change this. I am offering them for free for all, not for others to use for profit. Copyright 2018